The SFA Faculty Senate will hold a meeting at 2:30 p.m. tomorrow in McGee Business Building, Room 133, and on Zoom.

Members of the SFA community are welcome to attend the public portion of the session either in person or via Zoom. However, per senate rules, only faculty senators are permitted to participate in the discussions during the meeting. Therefore, questions should be forwarded in advance to your faculty senator for potential consideration.

Employee Wellness is presenting the following events this week:

• Webinar: "Five things to do now to get yourself organized and on track," 11 a.m., Thursday, Feb. 13, Zoom — Learn how to start creating habits to help improve your financial outcome in the new year. Register for the webinar.

• UT System 2025 Heart Walk pin pickup through Friday, Feb. 14, Austin Building, Room 201 — Celebrate American Heart Month by taking a 15-minute stroll on campus and stopping by Human Resources to pick up a UT System 2025 Heart Walk pin.

• Fur-get your stress, 2 to 3 p.m., Friday, Feb. 14, Baker Pattillo Student Center Spirit Lounge — "Paws" during your busy day and unwind with some adorable, furry therapy puppies.

The Lumberjack Wellness Network is offering its Wellbeing Certification again this semester. Based on the Seven Dimensions of Wellness, this program teaches faculty and staff motivational interviewing techniques to enable them to guide students to appropriate resources and goal-setting approaches.

Requirements include completing a motivational interviewing module, an emotional module and two elective modules. You can list this certification on your faculty activity report. To learn more, visit the Wellbeing Certification webpage.

Faculty and staff are encouraged to tell students about FAFSA Night, an event hosted by the Student Success Center and the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships to assist students with filing their Free Application for Federal Student Aid, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Feb. 18 in Steen Library, Room 107AA.

Though this is a FirstGen Forward Network initiative event, all students are welcome. They should bring their questions, required documents, login information and Federal Student Aid ID to receive hands-on guidance. The Dean of Students Office will provide free pizza.

Join Dr. Juan Daza, associate professor of systematics, zoology and evolutionary biology at Sam Houston State University, as he presents "Following Darwin till the end of the world!" from noon to 1 p.m. tomorrow in Dugas Liberal Arts North, Room 142.

During the Voyage of the Beagle, Charles Darwin spent three years and three months in South America, mainly in Argentina. In 2023, Daza visited Argentina, and, in under three weeks, he tried to follow Darwin's footsteps from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia and through parts of the Andes. This pilgrimage of more than 45,000 miles became a treasure hunt of Darwin's universe elements, many of which remain, even after nearly 200 years.

Faculty members and professional advisors are invited to the Professional Academic Advising Council meeting from 2 to 3 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, in Human Services Building, Room 319, or on Zoom.

To be included in the PAAC email list, contact Kara Predmore at kara.predmore@sfasu.edu.

To present at a future PAAC meeting, complete the presentation request on the PAAC website.

Join the James I. Perkins College of Education Access and Opportunity Committee for the inaugural Gateways, Not Gatekeepers symposium from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Feb. 19 in the Baker Pattillo Student Center, Regents' Suite A.

This event will focus on creating accessible pathways and opportunities for all. Refreshments will be provided.

Watch the event website for an updated speaker list and detailed schedule.

SFA Gardens is hosting the following events this month at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center at 2900 Raguet St. Parking is available at the center or at Raguet Elementary next door.

• Beauty and the Bees: Understanding Pollinators and Designing Landscapes to Support Them, 7-8:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 13, Brundrett Conservation Education Building — Andrea DeLong-Amaya, director of horticulture at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, will discuss the value of native plants in planned landscapes for this month’s Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series event. The free event includes a plant raffle.

• Birding in the Backyard of SFA Gardens, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 15, throughout the Pineywoods Native Plant Center — Indoor and outdoor stations will offer activities for people of all ages to learn about the parts of birds and their functions. Get tips on recognizing common birds and practice using binoculars. This free, come-and-go event is sponsored globally by Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the National Audubon Society and Birds Canada.

• Grafting With Dr. Creech, 9 a.m.-noon, Saturday, Feb. 22, Brundrett Conservation Education Building — Dr. David Creech, professor emeritus of agriculture and director of SFA Gardens, will discuss plant grafting techniques. Participants, who should bring a small, sharp pocket knife to the seminar, will practice on a variety of plants and take home their own grafted specimens. The cost is $30 for SFA Gardens members and $40 for non-members. SFA students may attend the workshop at no charge. Register for the workshop.

• Early Edible Plant Sale, noon-2 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 22, Greenhouse — This sale features several varieties of tomato plants and a few other edible surprises.

For more information on these events, call (936) 468-4404, email sfagardens@sfasu.edu or visit the SFA Gardens website.

The Department of Kinesiology and Health Science is seeking female research participants between the ages of 18 and 35 to engage in a straightforward exercise regimen with provided instructions. To qualify, individuals must not currently engage in more than 120 minutes of exercise per week. Benefits of participation include personalized exercise guidance and a sample workout.

For more information, contact graduate assistant Julia Martin at martinjn2@jacks.sfasu.edu, Dr. Robyn Whitehead at whitehearh@sfasu.edu, or Dr. Todd Whitehead at whiteheam@sfasu.edu.

To give back to the East Texas community, Student Engagement will host the annual Bleed Purple Blood Drive until 3:30 p.m. today in the Baker Pattillo Student Center, Room 2.106. Faculty and staff who participate will earn free Starbucks and a half-zip pullover provided by Gulf Coast Blood Center.

To schedule a time, visit the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center website.

The Student Success Center, DeWitt School of Nursing, School of Social Work and Academic Assistance and Resource Center wish to thank all involved in their "Supplies for Success" event Jan. 22, which saw a great turnout. Around $5,000 in study supplies were distributed to first- and second-year pre-nursing students.

In addition to information on tutoring services, students received valuable insights from the AARC on how to effectively use their supplies for studying as nursing majors. Additionally, School of Social Work faculty members and graduate students engaged students in the Care Connect program, a dedicated initiative designed to support their journey to nursing school.

This initiative is made possible through funding from the Student Success Acceleration Program 2.0 Grant, which aims to enhance student persistence and degree completion.

An article published by Thornley, associate professor, and Blount, Sanner-Berry Professor of Business, was cited twice in the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in SEC v. Jarkesy. The concurring opinion, part of the 6-3 majority ruling, was authored by Justice Neil Gorsuch and joined by Justice Clarence Thomas.

Considered one of the strongest indicators of top legal research, a Supreme Court citation is a notable accomplishment, even among top law school professors, and shows how impactful Thornley's and Blount's research is in the real world. Read the opinion.

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